“Fine,” Nicole snapped. “Run the ads. Bake your brownies, but don’t get your hopes up. They’re not all that.”

Jesse collected her papers and walked out of her sister’s office. She made her way to the back where she could duck into the women’s restroom and try not to cry.

Why did it have to be like this? Why couldn’t Nicole give her at least half a break? Why did she have to assume the brownies were going to fail? Talk about a lack of faith and forgiveness.

She slowed her breathing. Gradually the burning behind her eyes faded. She sniffed, then made sure she hadn’t leaked mascara on her face. Once she decided she could probably pass for relatively normal, she left the restroom and the building.

But when she got in her car, she found she wasn’t ready to go back to Paula’s. She felt restless and uncomfortable in her own skin. Without considering her actions, she picked up her cell phone, scrolled through her recent call list and then pushed the send button.

“Matthew Fenner’s office,” a woman’s voice said. “May I help you?”

“Uh, this is Jesse. Is Matt around?”

“Just one moment, please. I’ll check.”

Meaning the woman would go ask him. She shouldn’t have called, she thought. Why go looking for more pain?

But before she could hang up, she heard him say, “Jesse? Everything all right?”

“Sure. I don’t know why I called.” Then she remembered her vow to not lie. “That’s not true. I called because I just had another fight with Nicole. The brownies are going great, but does she want to listen to any of my ideas? Of course not. She only wants to see me as a screwup. She wants me to fail. It’s getting to me. That’s all. I need to talk, but I know you’re busy-”

There was a pause, then he stunned her by saying, “Or you could come by the office and rant in person.”

“Really? Now?”

“Sure. Where are you?”

“At the bakery.”

“Come on over. I’ll order lunch in. You can call your sister all the names you want and I’ll agree.”

Despite everything, she smiled. “I’d like that.”

Thirty minutes later, she parked by the large building that housed his company and made her way to the elevator. She went to the top floor where a well-dressed receptionist directed her toward a long corridor. Jesse tried not to feel underdressed in her jeans and T-shirt. She’d come straight from the bakery and working in the back meant comfortable clothes she didn’t mind getting dirty.

Rather than notice how great everything she saw looked, she glanced into the offices and noticed that the closer she got to the end, the bigger they got. At the end of the hallway, she turned left and saw a fifty-something woman sitting at a desk.

“You must be Jesse,” the woman said. “I’m Diane. Matt is waiting.”

“Hi,” Jesse said, wondering if this was the woman who told Matt what to do.

Diane walked into Matt’s office. “Jesse is here,” she said.

“Thanks, Diane. Have them hold lunch until I call for it.”

“Sure.”

Diane smiled at Jesse, then moved out of the room. She closed the door as she went.

Jesse stood in the middle of the big space and tried not to look as stupid as she felt. She shouldn’t have called, shouldn’t have come. She didn’t belong here. The Matt she’d known years ago had changed and the successful, wealthy stranger walking toward her didn’t look all that approachable.

“Sounds like Nicole’s giving you a hard time,” he said by way of greeting.

“I should go,” Jesse murmured.

“Don’t. You’re here now. Have a seat.”

He led her to a sofa with a view out the big windows. She sat down, then wished she’d brushed her butt first. Who knew what possible ingredients she might have on her jeans.

“Talk,” he said as he settled at the other end of the couch and faced her.

That made her laugh. “You’re a guy, Matt. You don’t do talk. You fix the problem, conquer your enemies, then go celebrate with a big, loud brawl.”

“I’m more evolved than that and I was never one to brawl. Now talk.”

She didn’t want to dump on him, but she didn’t have that many friends in Seattle. Not anymore. She’d lost touch with most of them when she’d moved away. While Paula was wonderful, she was already doing so much by helping out with Gabe. Complaining seemed a poor way to repay her.

“I just-” Jesse began, then sighed. “I don’t know why she bothered to agree to let me try to earn my way back into the bakery. She’s hoping I’ll fail. Or at least the brownies will. She’s not doing anything to help with the launch and she’s standing in the way of everything I want to do.”

“You’re part owner, aren’t you? Can’t you force her to do what you want?”

Jesse shrugged. “I played the ‘I’m a part of this, too’ card earlier. She didn’t like it. It’s just so frustrating. I’m not asking for special treatment here. I’m just asking that the brownies be given a chance. That she doesn’t always assume the worst. It’s been five years, but she’s not over any of it. I’ve changed, but she can’t see that.”

She looked at him, at his dark eyes, at the familiar mouth that now kissed so different. “I guess you two have that in common.”

“I know you’ve changed,” he said.

“You’re not acting like it. I didn’t cheat on you, Matt. How many times do I have to say that? How many times do I have to keep explaining?” She stood up. “You know what? I’m tired of it. I’m tired of it from her and from you and you can both go to hell.”

He rose. “Feel better?”

“A little. I’m just really pissed off.”

“Seriously? Because I didn’t get that from what you were saying.”

Against her will, despite everything that was happening, she smiled. Then she laughed. “Dammit, Matt, I’m not kidding.”

“Neither am I.” He motioned to the sofa. “Are we ready to sit again?”

She felt a little foolish as she settled back down. “Sorry. I’m kind of on edge.”

He angled toward her. “Jesse, you’ve known for a while you were coming back. You’ve had a chance to make plans, think it all through. You know what you want and how you’re going to get it. We don’t have that advantage. You show up here, unannounced, and expect me and Nicole to be okay with that. We’re still trying to catch up.”

As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she saw his point. “I don’t like it when you use reason against me.”

“Sorry. It’s all I’ve got.” He stared at her. “I’m mad as hell about Gabe. Sure, you told me you were pregnant, but you knew I didn’t believe you. You never tried to get in touch with me again. You never bothered to let me know when he was born. What the hell was up with that?”

Now she was the bad guy? She stood again. “What about all those things you said to me? You told me you didn’t care if the baby was yours?”

He rose. “I was wrong, but so were you. You knew Gabe was mine. You should have tried harder.”

She didn’t want to hear that. “You wouldn’t have listened.”

“We’ll never know what I would have done.”

She stared at him for a long time. Shame filled her. “Matt,” she whispered, fighting tears. “I’m sorry.” She’d come here to cry on his shoulder. This wasn’t the conversation she’d expected. “You hurt me so much.”

“I know. I’m sorry. You have no idea how much I regret what I said.”

Jesse wanted to believe him. Matt could see it in her face. But she wasn’t sure if she could trust him. If she’d known these past five years, she would know she couldn’t, but despite everything, Jesse had always believed in people, which was to his advantage.

She stared at him now, her big blue eyes dark with tears. God, she was beautiful. That hadn’t changed. If anything, she’d improved with time. The lines of her face were a little sharper and more defined. She was all grown up and about the sexiest female he’d ever seen.

He accepted the fact that he wanted her. It couldn’t be avoided. Sleeping with her would be a pleasure for both of them and where was the bad in that?

Now, as he moved toward her, sensing her vulnerability, he almost meant everything he said. Because caring about Jesse had been easy, too. Not that he was going to let himself forget what she’d done.

“You’re confusing me,” she admitted.

He rubbed his thumb against her bottom lip. “Part of my charm.”

“You always were charming.”

“I was some computer nerd who still lived with his mother.”

She smiled. “I never saw you that way.”

She really hadn’t, he thought, remembering how easily she’d helped him. She’d changed everything and along the way he’d fallen for her. It had stunned him when she’d admitted having feelings for him. He could still recall the sense of impossible victory. He’d gotten the girl-the only girl who mattered.

He wasn’t that foolish anymore, he told himself. No one mattered now. He didn’t let them.

Just to make sure he didn’t forget, he leaned in and kissed her. He touched his mouth to hers, claiming her, teasing, testing to see how far she would let him go.

At first she did nothing. She accepted the kiss, without kissing him back. He didn’t move, determined to make her feel something, feel him, when she softened slightly, eased forward and put her hand on his shoulder.

He wrapped both arms around her and drew her against him, holding her close, holding her tight, determined to keep her for as long as he wanted. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, as much to claim her as to please her, but she didn’t seem to mind. If anything, she met him stroke for stroke, touching, teasing, rubbing. Her hands moved up and down his back, her hips and belly pressed against him, daring him not to be aroused, not to be interested.

He was hard and ready and it was all he could do to keep from taking her right there in his office. The desk, a voice in his head yelled. The desk would work.